Re: Tony C ( a scary success story)

[Guest guest]

Tony,

I recall being told before my son's transplant that it's not unusual

for the donor to feel let down and even depressed after the transplant.

There is so much attention on the donor before the surgeries with all

the testing and you feel quite heroic. Then after the attention

rightfully shifts to the recipient who is being tested and closely

followed regarding the functioning of the new kidney. On top of that,

the donor felt fine before surgery and now has to recover from major

surgery, while the recipient felt lousy before and is full of energy

after and usually recovers much quicker. I was glad to have been warned

about this, although it was not a big problem for me. I did feel some

mild resentment about the transplant team's loss of interest in me

after the surgery, but I knew what was happening and why, and so it was

just a fleeting feeling. Overall, seeing the miraculous transformation

in my son was so thrilling and that carried me along. But perhaps your

brother actually is depressed and therefore can't muster the

wherewithall to get on with check-ups and life in general. I would

suggest discussing your concerns about him with your transplant team,

if you haven't already.

Betsy